A mid-size manufacturer of electrical equipment buys out a competitor and discovers improperly
disposed polychlorinated biphenyls on the property. Though he is guilty of no wrongdoing, the
CEO must move quickly to deal with the concerns of employees, shareholders, customers,
suppliers, and the neighboring community, which suspects the company of complicity in
contamination of the local water supply. 9 pp. Case #97-01. (1997)

On March 2, 2006, as work crews shoveled through the heavy snow blanketing the Prudhoe Bay oil fields
of northern Alaska, they spotted a small hole of no more than a quarter of an inch along the pipeline. As
BP America, the company in charge of the oil fields, quickly learned, this tiny hole would prove to be the
source of the worst oil spill ever – some 270,000 gallons of crude oil – on the North Slope of Alaska. BP
America and its parent company, BP, soon discovered that their enormous re-branding efforts and
carefully cultivated image for being environmentally friendly would be challenged by the reality of
extracting petroleum in Alaska’s harsh northern environment. 8 pp. Case #06-14. (2006)

British Petroleum (BP) applied for a permit in 2006 to expand its Indiana refinery and increase its
discharge of ammonia and suspended solids into Lake Michigan. The permit was approved by
the state and federal regulatory authorities. What followed was an outcry of public opinion
against this decision culminating in an article in the national media and speeches by presidential
candidate Barack Obama. Though BP had full regulatory approval to proceed with the expansion,
and the scientific consensus was that the increased discharge would not harm the Lake Michigan
ecosystem, BP decided not to use the new discharge permit in the face of intense public scrutiny.
However, this did not quell the negative media coverage regarding its discharge application. 13
pp. Case #08-02. (2008)